July 29 (Reuters) - Kinross Gold Corp is again
considering cutting jobs at its Tasiast gold mine in Mauritania,
Chief Executive Officer Paul Rollinson said on Wednesday, as the
Canadian miner looks for ways to reduce costs at its higher-cost
mines amid sliding metals prices.

Kinross was in talks with the Mauritanian government on the
"possibility of a head count reduction," Rollinson said in an
interview. He declined to discuss how many jobs could be lost.

Kinross in 2013 laid off about 300 workers at Tasiast to cut
costs. Tasiast has 1,350 employees.

High costs have dogged Tasiast since its purchase as part of
Kinross' $7.1 billion takeover of Australia's Red Back Mining in
2010.

The Toronto-based company was also studying if production
costs at Tasiast, which rose 4 percent to $1,063 an ounce in the
second-quarter, could be reduced by increasing the mine mill's
efficiency, Rollinson said.

Tasiast's production costs are skating close to the gold
price, which was last at $1,096 an ounce, squeezing margins.

If Kinross cannot achieve the margins and cash flow it wants
from its mines it would consider shutting them down as it did
with its La Coipa mine in Chile, Rollinson said. Such a move
would not be taken lightly, however.

"We will turn over all stones before we get to that
decision," he said.
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